Essence Extracted

Chapter 31

© ItalRT4u, 2012

     Sitting on the edge of the couch, one fist clenched resting on his forehead; the other wrapped around a glass with a deep amber colored liquid, Cane seemed to be battling with his own thoughts.  The frustration and sadness that surrounded him was thick at best.  I walked up to the broken man, grabbed his glass and moved it to the coffee table that was across from him, setting it next to the crystal decanter that held the same colored liquor as he jumped at the feel of my touch.

     “Why aren’t you in bed?”  He asked with a yawn, his gaze refusing to meet mine still.

     “I should be asking you the same question.”  I watched him as he gave me a sarcastic snort as a rebuttal, in place of bringing forth a few words.

     “What do you want, Payton?”  He said after a lengthy moment of silence.

     “I want you to come to bed.”  I said softly.

     “And I want you to tell me everything that’s on your mind.”  He looked at me pointedly.  “But we can’t have everything we want now can we?”  He finished harshly.  Anger was slowly building within me and I felt my temper snap moments later.

     “You want to know what’s wrong?”  I blew up.  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong!”  And I marched to his suitcase that still sat at the bottom of the staircase and removed my findings from the suit jacket pocket which hid inside its garment bag.  When I turned, I noticed his shocked gaze.  “This is what’s wrong!”  I yelled as I whipped the black velvet box at him.  He caught it before it hit him square on the nose.

     “B-but…” his voice trailed off.

     “Never mind.  Cane, I love you, but…”  It was his turn to stop me.

     “Now wait a minute!”  He said loudly as he got up to his feet.  “This is what’s got you in this state?”  I nodded.  He began to laugh as he walked toward me; my feet took me away from him almost instantaneously as I dodged him and took his previous seat and proceeded to take the glass he drank from earlier and downing the rest of its potent contents which made me scrunch up my face at its strong taste.

     “Oh you think it’s funny, do you?”  I eyed him, the whiskey burning down my core, fueling my infuriation as Cane kept on laughing; and I mean, one of those belly busting laughs.

     “It is.”  He said in between fits.  “Here.”  He tossed me the box and I held it in my fingers, looking at it like it was about to sprout eyes or something.  “You never opened it, did you?”  I shook my head.  “Go ahead.”  He motioned for me to open it and my fingers slowly went to lift the top of the box.  I hadn’t noticed his laughter had stilled.

     Humiliation filled me to the brim as I stared down at the contents of the velvet box.  There, twinkling back at me were a pair of diamond pendant earrings.

     “I knew I should have had Elizabeth take them up to you before we met up but I wanted to do it personally.”  He explained softly as he came to sit beside me.  I let my head fall into my hands as I shook my head. 

      “I’m sorry.”  I whispered feeling foolish for assuming it was anything more to begin with.

     “Me too.”  He said softly, taking the box from me, snapping its lid shut, dropping it to the table in front of us, and taking my hands in his.  “I think we’ve made asses of ourselves enough for one day.”  He smirked once I finally had brought my gaze to him.  “Now,” he paused; “you mind telling me why you seemed troubled about that?”  He nodded his head toward the small troublesome package that lay on the coffee table.